For more than three decades now, late December finds me rolling down the lonesome highway from my Oklahoma home to the high desert of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. With the whitetail rut pretty much over and Old Man Winter knocking on the door, I’ve always figured there can’t be a better option than hitting the reset button by hunting the Coues deer rut!
So, shortly after Christmas 2023, the Claypool Clan was once again loading up the camping trailer, ATV and pickup truck. Heading west at sunrise, by mid-afternoon I-40 was in the rearview mirror. Turning onto “Old 54” at Santa Rosa, N.M., rolling southwest, we had I-10 firmly in our sights. A few hours later, cresting the top of the Organ Mountains, the lights of Las Cruces…
